‘You should be ashamed of yourself’, accuser rips into defense lawyer

After apparently getting the decade-old writings via the witness’ sister, the defense was allowed to bring up portions in which Sokola said two other men had sexually assaulted her over the years but didn’t say the same about Weinstein.

Instead, she wrote that he promised her help but didn’t deliver.

Sokola testified Wednesday that she had left out Weinstein’s alleged sexual abuse partly because she couldn’t come to terms with it at the time. Also, she said, her sponsor was in the film business in Poland and knew who Weinstein was.

Cibella questioned that explanation, noting that the text mentioned only “Harvey W” and nothing about his profession. Sokola said her sponsor nonetheless knew his identity because they talked about it.

Tearing up as she spoke, she said she hadn’t seen the black notebook for 10 years, never gave anyone permission to share it and was stunned and appalled to be confronted with it in court.

“I felt very violated,” said Sokola, now 39 and a psychotherapist.

She was the second of Weinstein’s accusers to testify at the retrial, and the only one who wasn’t involved in his first trial in 2020. That proceeding led to a landmark #MeToo-era conviction that was subsequently overturned, setting up the retrial. Prosecutors decided to add Sokola’s allegations to it.

Another woman, Miriam Haley, already has told jurors at the retrial that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, is expected to testify in the coming days or weeks. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they give permission to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola have done so.